Move aside meat sauce! This lentil Bolognese is taking center stage. Loaded with protein, this easy dish makes a completely nutritious and filling meal in under 30 minutes.
Growing up Greek, one of the most common dishes I ate as a kid was pasta with meat sauce. I swear, this dish exists in every culture! Ground beef was the choice of protein and since we’re no longer on the meat train, we’ve switched to lentils. This lentil Bolognese is the perfect plant-based version and incorporates all the traditional flavors.
The Ingredients
The protein. In place of ground beef, we’re using protein-packed lentils. Not only are these little super legumes brimming with protein, but they also contain lots of fiber. Fiber is incredibly important for regulating gut and digestive health and for helping to keep you full. Fiber is also something that meat doesn’t have 😉
Lentils are incredibly healthy. Just one cup of lentils contains almost 19 grams of protein, 15 grams of fiber, B vitamins, folate, iron, magnesium. manganese and so much more. Rich in polyphenols, lentils have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Lentils have been studied to have cancer protecting effects, lowering blood pressure and improved blood sugar levels.
One of the best parts of this dish is that I make it using canned lentils. This reduces the cooking time by half! I always talk about how much I love using canned beans because they’re easier, faster, and the lectins are already significantly diminished. My favorite brand is Westbrae but you can use any canned lentils you like.
You can absolutely use dry lentils – you’ll just have to boil them before hand. Then strain and add to the sauce.
Mushrooms. One of the characteristics of meat is this chewy texture. To achieve a similar textural note, we’re using shiitake mushrooms. Mushrooms not only give this dish a chewiness but it also has the “umami” flavor. “Umami” is one of the five basic tastes and it’s often used to describe the savory flavory of meat.
The sauce. The sauce is a fusion of tastes from tomato sauce, onion, garlic and a range of spices. Nothing here has changed from my family recipe that we’ve been making for ages! Herbaceous oregano, parsley, basil and a bay leaf fuse together for added flavor.
Serving
For the pasta, you can use any pasta that you like! Sometimes we opt for the traditional white pasta. Sometimes we choose a “healthier” path and go with a lentil or chickpea pasta. Beans on beans on beans. This is purely personal preference.
The most common way to serve this lentil bolognese is as I have discussed above: pasta! However, we’ve also served this on a bun with melted cheese or over rice. Keep in mind that this lentil Bolognese is great meal prep option because it stores well in the refrigerator and heats up well, too.
However you choose to eat this lentil bolognese, enjoy it!
Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 15oz tomato sauce
- 3 oz diced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 15oz can of lentils black or brown
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients. Dice the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Drain and thoroughly rinse the canned lentils.
- Add the onion, garlic and olive oil to a skillet. Sauté for about three minutes until softened.
- Add the mushrooms to the skillet. Sauté another 2 minutes.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients and bring the sauce to a boil. When bubbling, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer about 15 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has thickened. Stir frequently.
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